Month: May 2021

‘The Last Thing He Told Me’ – Laura Dave

I’m still waiting on NetGalley regarding this one, but I had heard such good things about this that I couldn’t resist buying it…and it is a bit of a treat.

Hannah is our main character. She is a woodturner by trade, and she has not long been married to Owen. They have a relatively quiet life and she is, slowly, making headway with Owen’s daughter, Bailey, who has been rather resistant to the appearance of a stepmother having spent so long on her own with her father. Hannah senses that Bailey remains resistant to her, but she keeps trying.

This could have been a relatively humdrum story focusing on the developing relationship between Hannah and Bailey. While their relationship is a focal point, it is set against an intriguing backdrop of events that you can’t help but get drawn into.

One night, Hannah receives a message on a torn piece of paper from a girl in Bailey’s school. She is told that Owen passed it on. The message says ‘protect her’. This means nothing to Hannah, until she hears on the news that Owen’s office is under investigation for fraud. Could he be hiding something?

The answer – obviously – is yes…but it isn’t exactly what you are thinking.

We follow Hannah and Bailey as they try to adjust to their new situation, deal with the fallout of events Owen is caught up in…and Hannah tries to make sense of the new details she learns about the man she thought she knew.

Pacing was, for me, a bit of an issue at times. I’m not wholly convinced that people would have reacted in the way they do here, but it was entertaining and definitely a good burst of escapism.

 

‘Little Secrets’ – Jennifer Hillier

Little Secrets explores the depths you might be prepared to go to when your life is turned upside down.

Our main character, Marin, is so removed from the everyday experience that it was hard to warm to her initially. The book opens with her Christmas shopping with a fractious four year old…then the worst happens. She loses hold of little Sebastian’s hand and he is gone. Over a year later there is no sign of him, and Marin’s relationship is under extreme stress.

For the situation alone I found myself wondering how this would impact her. Her stress, guilt and reactions to those trying to support her were very sensitively portrayed…and this sense of discomfort never left us. While the story of Sebastian’s disappearance begins the book, it is used as a way of introducing some of the little secrets to which the title alludes.

Quite early on Marin reveals she hired a private investigator…and she is shocked to learn that her husband has, for the last six months, been having an affair. The young woman concerned is not an anonymous figure – we learn a lot about her and her motivation.

This was a book I found myself quite absorbed by. Some of the hints given early on seemed like huge flags to me, and yet having an inkling of how this might end up didn’t put me off while reading. I enjoyed thoroughly seeing how the various strands played out, and my only gripe was that the final elements of the story seemed to get resolved rather quickly. This isn’t necessarily a read that’ll stick with me long after is read it, but as I was reading I found it captivating.

 

‘The Beautiful Ones’ – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I have to admit to not having read anything else by this author yet, so it will be interesting to compare to her other novels when I get to read them, but this was quite an unusual read.

The plot focuses on the conventions held in Losail society. The socialites known colloquially as The Beautiful Ones dominate this arena, and dictate how things should be done. Like a spider at the centre of a web sits Valerie Beaulieu, a woman who seems to have it all – but we come to see just what she’s lacking and how this affects her. Thrown into this web is Nina Beaulieu, Valerie’s cousin by marriage, who has been sent to Losail from the country for her first season in society.

Nina has, from an early age, been someone that people talk about. She is a telekinetic, and her fascination with insects/propensity to talk honestly to those she encounters marks her as odd. Her lack of regard for conventions is a challenge, and it is determined that this young girl known as the Witch of Oldhouse should be taught how to control herself. But at what price?
When she forms an attraction for Hector Auvray – a telekinetic who has made his living performing in the theatre – we think this will be a rather stereotypical romance…but Hector and Valerie have a shared secret, and this has a terrible influence on everything that follows.

The book is slow-paced but never boring. There’s a gradual unfolding of the plot and characters. At the start I found myself thinking it was very Austen-like, with polite society being gently ridiculed while showing some of the potential alternatives. I became captivated by Nina and her gauche innocence. Once we understand Valerie’s secret it was hard to see her as anything other than a villain. Her poison seeps into every aspect of the plot, and there were moments where I wondered just how anyone would escape these machinations and their impact.

While much of the book focuses on the conventional society and its unwritten rules, at its heart lies romance and a fascination with what could be deemed magic. The Beautiful Ones were not that beautiful, and it’s a timely reminder that sometimes the most beautiful thing is to be seen and loved for what you truly are.

 

‘Every Last Secret’ – A.R. Torre

Every Last Secret was, thankfully, a slow burner. When I started reading I felt genuine antipathy towards the characters, and the writing style left me feeling as if I were watching specimens in a jar. Though this lack of engagement with any of the characters put me off initially, upon reflection I think it serves the book well as you watch the drama unfold.

Cat Winthorpe is our alpha-female. Leader of her social circle, her marriage to William Winthorpe puts her in an enviable social position. Few see how much time and effort is invested in keeping this position, but it’s fascinating to see what she does when her role is challenged. The potential usurper is Dr Neena Ryder, the new employee at her husband’s company and their new neighbour. From the outset we mistrust Neena, and sense her motivations for cosying up to Cat are not entirely wholesome.

What seemed to be a story about a rather unexciting affair/love triangle soon develops into a more menacing game. There’s ‘accidents’ that could have been worse, and our insight into the psyche of both female leads means we are genuinely uncertain who is behind the increasingly bizarre things happening. On more than one occasion we are wrong-footed, and when we finally realise what’s happening it’s safe to say we’re truly immersed in the madness.

 

‘The Girl Who Died’ – Ragnar Jónasson

My first Jonasson read, and it definitely won’t be my last. The Girl Who Died is a haunting tale, deftly weaving a contemporary tale of murder and deception with a years-old ghost story.

For reasons known only to herself our main character, Una, has decided she needs a change of scene. Fed up of the anonymity of living in Reykjavík, she decides to look into the advert given to her by a friend. The job? Teacher to a small school in the village of Skàlar…population, ten.

Her arrival at her new home and the sense of unease she feels was masterfully presented. The beauty of the landscape can’t hide its oppressive qualities, the locals are not all that friendly and she can’t help but feel uneasy at the rumours of ghosts in the home she’s living in.

Not much happens…but the building sense of unease hints at Una being caught in something she’s unprepared for. The residents of the village have their secrets, and it’s just a matter of time until these secrets start to unravel.

I’m so grateful to NetGalley for granting me access to this prior to publication (scheduled for June 2021) and now I need to look through my kindle to see what other books by this author I can read. Any recommendations?

 

‘Our Last Echoes’ – Kate Alice Marshall

 

Our Last Echoes was always going to have to be a book I tried as soon as I saw the Twin Peaks mention…and it definitely has its surreal, downright creepy, moments where you’re never quite sure what is actually going on. I also started reading The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jonasson at the same time, and there was a similar oppressive quality to the description of the place where much of the story takes place.

Our main character Sophia recalls nearly drowning as a young child, and she has always been plagued by memories that she can’t explain. Passed from one foster home to another, she has always felt the need to learn more about the disappearance of her mother and to learn of the significance of Bitter Rock to her life.

After pestering Dr Kapoor – the woman who is in charge of those who are allowed to work on the island – Sophia is allowed to visit. Given what we later learn about her link to Bitter Rock I still think this is rather unlikely, but it’s a necessary device to get her to the heart of where these strange things keep happening.

Many people have heard of this place. Throughout time, people who have visited the island mysteriously disappear. Nobody can explain what happens to them. As we learn more about these unusual events, I can fully understand why.

From the outset it is highly suggested that we are in the grip of something that is hard to explain. After finishing the book I can still think of no rational explanation for what happens, and if you were to get caught up in events such as this in reality you would be terrified.

This is certainly a book to go into with little warning of what is to come. It doesn’t shy away from some very dark moments, and this will not be to everyone’s tastes. However, the inclusion of interview transcripts and the details from different times lends a fascinating element to a most unusual story.

‘The One’ – John Marrs

I am kicking myself for not having read this earlier. From the moment I picked it up I found myself rifling the pages, desperate to see where this was going. With a large cast of characters and over a hundred chapters I wasn’t sure how this would work…but everything is paced well, and each character is very quickly identifiable. Piecing together the details was an absorbing process.

The concept is intriguing. A test has been discovered that, in exchange for a DNA sample, gives you the identity of your Match…the person you are destined to be with. Taking the risk out of choosing love seems to appeal, and the success of the Match Your DNA app shows this. Since its inception, the app has appeared to change society. However, the premise raises some intriguing ethical issues and the book’s success depends very much on the fact that people are not always honest.

Upon starting the book I was immediately struck by how quickly I raced through the opening quarter. Learning the details of the various characters who’d signed up to the app and their motivations definitely added something to reading about their reactions and subsequent behaviour. Though the characters were all very different, I was keen to see what would happen.

Certain characters stuck out: Christopher, Mandy, Kevin and Nick. Though I won’t reveal why, their stories engaged and captivated me. Though the details are not always palatable, it was hard not to get sucked into trying to work out what would happen for each of them.

There was a point in the story – a little over halfway through – that my attention wandered a little. We were learning the details of these characters, but I was struggling to see the significance of their tales to the overall book. It felt as if we were going to have to be given a reason for these very different stories to be threaded together. It took a while, but we got there…and certainly made me review some of the interactions.

So, given all these positives, why not five stars? It’s hard to explain without giving away details of the plot. However, Ellie’s story hadn’t captured my attention sufficiently to really engage me by the time key information came out later. The moral ambiguity surrounding Ellie in the closing stages rather concerned me. There’s also a part of me that thinks relationships don’t come with hard and fast guarantees, and anyone so desperate to seek such affirmation is trying to ignore their personal responsibility for their choices and the way they impact on others. Perhaps on a different day this would have got five stars from me, and it’s certainly a read I’d recommend highly.